“The musical contribution lives!”

Published on 01 December 2016

Every month, Johannus reaches both amateur and professional organists from all over the world with the musical contribution. This month we will celebrate the 100th edition. “This is a very worthwhile extra service that Johannus provides to organ lovers, and I value being able to work with them on it. When I look back over the last 100 editions and eight years, it’s predominantly with a feeling of gratitude,” says organist André van Vliet, who is responsible for the contribution each month.

Grateful and proud

Each month, Van Vliet searches for exclusive compositions for the musical contribution. Sometimes he reworks a composition originally written for other instruments, and occasionally he arranges a piece from scratch. “I think it’s important that we are offering something exclusive here, something that you can’t just buy in the shop. I want to provide something for organ enthusiasts of all denominations, so I try to keep it as diverse as possible. It’s also important that both amateur and professional organists can benefit from the composition. Preparing the contribution every month is therefore quite a task, but I am grateful and proud to be able to do it.”

Praise from all over the world

These feelings are reinforced by the praise that Van Vliet receives from all around the world. “It’s something that organ enthusiasts really appreciate. I regularly receive emails from abroad with a compliment or an addition to the introductory text in the contribution,” he says. But the musical contribution is also popular among Dutch organists. “I recently gave a lecture for an organists’ association. During the break, a number of organists came to tell me how much they appreciate this service. Another nice example is from a while ago. I shared a composition by a fairly unknown composer who died several years ago. Subsequently, I received a warm message from this man’s family. It was nice for them to see their family member’s work living on in this way. Those sorts of reactions are particularly valuable to me.”

Johannus has worked for years with André van Vliet. As well as producing the musical contribution, Van Vliet is also involved in various promotional activities. “I’m enormously enthusiastic about Johannus products. I always say: ‘If you’re talking about digital organs, you’re talking about Johannus.’ It’s nice to be able to reach and inspire organ enthusiasts together in all these different ways.” On to the 200th musical contribution? “I’m definitely signing up for that!”